Ribera’s Rising Star Ribera del Duero occupies the position of challenger, along with Priorat, to Rioja’s dominance in Spanish red wine. Since this region rose to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s thanks to high scores from Robert Parker and other critics, wineries and vineyards have proliferated across this once-forgotten section of Castilla y León. Vega Sicilia, for years the only winery in the area anyone had heard of, was joined by new names bound for glory. At the high end, wineries like Pingus, Aalto, Viña Sastre, and Viña Pedrosa proved the world-class potential of Ribera. Accessible wi ..read more

Portugal’s capital is impossibly scenic: hilltop viewpoints overlooking red-roofed buildings, pastel-colored walls, and the Tejo River estuary that blends into the Atlantic. This was an imperial capital in the days of the Portuguese Empire which lisboetas so love to recall, and at times you can still feel that weight and grace that only the world’s great cities possess. Lisbon feels friendly and accessible, which makes it a great city to visit. The old blends seamlessly with the new, from the winding fado-filled streets of the Alfama to the futuristic Parque das Naçôes. You can taste the contr ..read more

Priorat may be the star of Cataluña’s wine lineup. Since a few brave winemakers recuperated old vines here in the 1970s, Priorat’s quality has exploded, along with its reputation. The terrain is dramatic: mountains topped with stone look down on vine-covered terraces and villages built in seemingly impossible spots. This is not an easy place to make wine. You’ll find many small wineries here growing vines on tiny plots, often using organic and biodynamic techniques. This and other innovations have helped Priorat’s trajectory continue upward. There are new regulations based on soil and climate ..read more

Rías Baixas in Galicia, Spain, is the most famous wine region in Galicia, though it is often known simply by its characteristic grape: Albariño. Rías are inlets of the Atlantic similar to fjords. These rías give the vineyards a very strong Atlantic influence; the near constant humid ocean air means the vines must be trained on high trellises to prevent mildew. Nearly all wine here is white and made from Albariño. These wines are fresh and mineral with lively acidity that makes them the perfect pairing with the local seafood-dominated cuisine. Albariños from the Rías Baixas were the first succe ..read more

Porto has long been Portugal’s relatively sleepy second city, but in the last few years the city has woken up and become an exciting, cosmopolitan destination. The change is visible in hotels, museums and winery tasting rooms, but perhaps most of all in the city’s red-hot restaurant scene. Classic Northern Portuguese cuisine is hearty stuff, a combination of countryside dishes packed with flavorful meat and vegetables and the simple fisherman’s cooking from the coast. Porto’s best new restaurants use the richness of ingredients available to them to craft dishes that take inspiration from the c ..read more

Desde 1911 Madrid is famously and counterintuitively one of the best places in Spain to eat seafood. Very fresh seafood. Blindingly fast transport brings the best product from the Spanish coastal ports to the capital which sits smack in the middle of the country. The seafood stocks enormous urban fish markets and populates the menus of the city’s elite restaurants. If there is one company associated with the success of this coast to capital process, it's the legendary Pescaderías Coruñesas, a family seafood distributor of Galician origin whose specialty is providing Madrid with the absolute be ..read more

Poncio On a quiet plaza near Madrid’s expansive Retiro Park, Poncio leaves aside trendy locations and copycat creative menus for refreshingly personal and comfortable yet creative cuisine. It’s a small restaurant, a cozy dining room, a few high tables and a relaxing outdoor terrace. Behind Poncio is Willy Moya, a Madrid native trained at Le Cordon Bleu who made his name in the Andalusian capital Sevilla and held an executive chef position in Istanbul. At Poncio, Moya’s ability and personal touch is evident in every dish. Andalusian influences, classic Spanish flavors and techniques and a scent ..read more

Madrid is a global cosmopolitan city with a diverse food scene to match, but the city retains a love of traditional eateries of the type lost to time in many cities. The influx of immigrants from Spain’s provinces to the capital has brought the best of Spanish regional cuisine to Madrid. This wealth means that there are excellent restaurants serving traditional Castillian, Basque, Galician, and other specialties right in the heart of the city. From the delicate Navarran vegetables on offer at García de la Navarra to the ancestral roast lamb of Botín, Madrid is a city where you can find heritag ..read more

Tapas bars might be Spain’s singular difference from the rest of the eating world. Where else do people crowd into standing room only often tiny bars to eat? You may have to shout your order across heads to the person behind the bar, and then retrieve your glasses and plates from the hands of strangers standing between you and the bar. Some tapas bars have a few small tables; more often a few high tables. You can rarely reserve at a tapas bar so you had better come early, at opening time, especially on weekends. Andalucía in southern Spain is thought of as the heartland of tapas. Tapas bars ar ..read more

Restaurants in the Rioja The two most important things when visiting wine country are good wine and good food. There are wine regions around the world where the diversity and quality of the wine surpasses that of the local restaurants. Not so in Rioja, where the confluence of local and regional ingredients and refined cooking techniques trickling in from the nearby Basque Country has created a culinary landscape that matches the depth of the local wine culture. From traditional asadores to fine dining destinations, Riojan restaurants provide quality and variety for even the most demanding pala ..read more